Thoughts from the interface of science, religion, law and culture

After spending several years touring the country as a stand up comedian, Ed Brayton tired of explaining his jokes to small groups of dazed illiterates and turned to writing as the most common outlet for the voices in his head. He has appeared on the Rachel Maddow Show and the Thom Hartmann Show, and is almost certain that he is the only person ever to make fun of Chuck Norris on C-SPAN.

EVENTS

Black Pastor Says Dumb Things About Anti-Discrimination Laws

Stacy Swimp is part of a sizable group of black ministers in Michigan who are furiously anti-gay. Like all anti-gay bigots, he loves to claim that he’s fighting for “religious freedom” but he hasn’t thought through the obvious implications of his arguments. In an interview with the Tea Party News Network, he offers the same old nonsense.

“We need to make sure that we are doing everything we can to stop them from amending our civil rights bill to include this civil rights language, or my friends, freedom as we know it will no longer exist,” he said.

He’s speaking of a bill in the Michigan legislature that would add sexual orientation and gender expression to the state’s anti-discrimination laws. It’s the same old argument we’ve heard a million times before, but it’s far more disturbing, I think, when it’s made by a black person. Because if their argument is to be taken seriously, if it’s the “end of freedom” to not allow someone to discriminate on the basis of religion, then we have to repeal the Civil Rights Act.

Lots and lots of people believe that their religion demands that they discriminate against those of different races, religions and, perhaps especially, against women. But I guarantee you that he would strongly oppose repealing laws that ban discrimination on those grounds, even though people have sincerely held religious beliefs. He isn’t really in favor of religious freedom by the definition he has for religious freedom, he’s only in favor of being able to discriminate against the people he’s currently bigoted against.

Comments

I’ve said this before, but I always find it amazing and kind of sad when people who members of groups who have recently been and still are discriminated against turn right around and discriminate against other groups.

I remember during Prop 8 seeing a video where an African American woman talked about how in the past her voice wouldn’t be heard because she’s black, about how in the past her voice wouldn’t be heard, but now her voice can be heard… as she votes against equality for a minority. To this day I still don’t understand how anyone can lack that much self-awareness.

African-Americans learn that very, very young: their freedom to use the sidewalk comes at the cost of white drivers’ freedom to run them down in the streets. There are lots of other examples, most of them learned under the tutelage of poor Southern whites who might have been in tarpaper shacks but at least they weren’t black.

Well, up until now one of the only things that black Americans have had was that at least they didn’t have to put up with the abuse that the LGBT people did. And now even that’s being taken away from them.

Lots and lots of people believe that their religion demands that they discriminate against those of different races, religions and, perhaps especially, against women. But I guarantee you that he would strongly oppose repealing laws that ban discrimination on those grounds, even though people have sincerely held religious beliefs.

I somehow doubt that this asshole would have any problem with discrimination against non-xtians and/or women, he would probably also be OK with discriminating against black people that are not him.